OpenSim: Events Plaza Showcase

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In an effort to post more than twice or three times a week, I wanted to start up a little thing where I show off parts of OpenSim, the decentralized, open, and completely free alternative to Second Life. OpenSim a network of thousands of grids, all operated by regular people. Some host them via servers, some use their own PCs. What it all has in common, is that you don’t have to spend a dime, and it is in fact discouraged. But, OpenSim is very much like a … Fediverse of virtual worlds, and I don’t easily find a lot of people talking about OS on the social media that I use.

So.

Today, in the continuation of my new alien life via OSGrid, and OpenSim, I wanted to show off the Events Plaza. Maybe you’re thinking, “Oh okay, one of those places like in Second Life where some DJ turns on a playlist and then runs away from their computer for 15 hours.”

But no! This is actually very different.

Every Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday, the events plaza hosts a thirteen hour long event, and they’ve been doing this for at least ten years or more. And not only do they play music, they have actual artists singing live for the audience, no matter how big or small it is.

I’ve been in OpenSim for a little over a month, and this was only brought to my attention because of this video showing off “dead games.”

The Youtuber in-question has kind of a basic understanding of what a virtual world is in relation to Second Life, and I would not, by any stretch, call OpenSim “dead” or a “game” in any traditional sense.

This is something that’s kind of amazing to me. Because, while Second Life has become hyper-consumerist in every sense of the word, OpenSim has kept the vibes of what SL used to be, decades ago.

Instead of people flocking like sheep to exploitative shopping event after exploitative shopping event, you find people, just being people. Like a Yahoo chatroom, but you can have a nice avatar, and some boobs.

Why we ever needed anything more than this is a mystery to me, but I’m also a huge proponent of the idea that the old-web was the way the internet should have stayed, rather than being overtaken by oligarchs and money-hungry billionaires who’ve forgotten what it even means to be human.

For good measure, here’s another shot of the plaza where a handful of people have begun to gather.

Maybe it doesn’t look amazing, and maybe it doesn’t have ultra-realistic Unreal5 graphics, and the latest Beabis and Bubhead skin, but it’s something special.

And I think you should visit.

Jump on over to the Events Plaza, any time.